THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Only in
America. (Laughter.) Frances, thanks. I
appreciate your story; I appreciate your courage; and I appreciate your
introduction. I'm also thankful that Tommy Thompson agreed
to leave the state of Wisconsin to come and help make sure that Health
and Human Services was run in the right spirit, in the right,
compassionate attitude, one in which we fight for a federal funds that
are reasonable and realistic, but understand that the true wisdom and
strength of the country is at the local level.
Speaking about the local level, I want to thank the Mayor and
Parks, thank you very much for being here, as well. I
appreciate both you all's leadership. The innovation that
takes place in this community is positive and strong, and that's why
we're here, to herald a program that actually
works. Sometimes they sound good on paper, they read good,
but the results are short. And that's not the case in
Mecklenburg County when it comes to putting people to
work. So I want to thank you all for your leadership.
I had the privilege of flying down with Sue Myrick and Robin Hayes
today on the airplane, two really good United States Congressmen from
the state of North Carolina; people who understand that North
Carolinians can best run North Carolina, and not people out of
Washington, D.C. So I want to thank you all for
coming. (Applause.)
And I want to thank Rodney Carroll, as well, for being
here. I want to thank Carrol Gray, and members of the
Chamber. A lot of times I talk about responsibility,
ushering in a period of responsible behavior in
America. There is such thing as corporate responsibility,
corporate America not only making sure the balance sheets are real,
that all assets and liabilities are exposed for shareholder and
employee alike.
But there's something about saying, I'm going to do something in
the community in which I live; working hard to take the extra step to
employ somebody, to keep them on, to help them work through their
difficulties. This is a community in which corporate North Carolina,
or corporate Charlotte has heard that call, and I want to thank the
Chamber for being on the leading edge of encouraging corporate
responsibility.
First, let me tell you that, as I said a while ago, the state of
this union is very strong. It is clear to me, when I sat in
the room today that the state of the state of North Carolina is strong
and vibrant -- at least in this corner of the state, if not the whole
state. But the state of our union is strong. We
are steady, we're resolved and we are a determined nation.
You know, the enemy attacked a nation that they thought was weak.
And, man, did they make a mistake. They thought the United
States was so materialistic, so caught up in a false Hollywood vision
of America, that we would accept their attack as part of the normalcy
in America, that we would do nothing about it. And they've
now learned that this nation is absolutely resolved to defend that
which we hold dearest to our heart, and that's freedom -- that when
somebody attacks freedom, that we'll defend it with all our force and
all our might. And that's what we're doing.
I think the country has laid out a clear message -- first, that
either you're with us or you're against us in the fight for
freedom. That either you stand beside this great nation as
part of a coalition that will defend freedom and defend civilization
itself, or you're against us.
I think the message has gotten out. The world is knitted
up pretty tight when it comes to bringing the al Qaeda and other
killers to justice. We've had over a thousand arrests around the
world, different countries, different governments that are putting
these al Qaeda people behind bars. We're slowly, but surely,
methodically and patiently demolishing al Qaeda so they cannot hit us
again. (Applause.)
We have made it clear that if you harbor a terrorist, if you feed a
terrorist, if you train a terrorist, you're just as guilty as the
terrorist. And the Taliban government in Afghanistan found
out exactly what I meant, thanks to a strong and spirited,
well-motivated, well-trained United States military -- a military of
which I am immensely proud.
We have liberated a country. This great nation seeks not
revenge, but justice, and at the same time, we're not conquerors, but
we're liberators. We have liberated women and children from the
clutches of one of the most barbaric regimes history has ever known.
It was my honor to welcome Mr. Karzai and his cabinet, including a
woman minister, to Washington, D.C., and hear him firsthand say how
anxious he is to restore Afghanistan to normalcy, where women and
children, young girls are educated, just like young boys; where people
are given a chance in life.
The Taliban made a terrible mistake and they paid a dear
price. And I'm grateful for the United States military for
the job it's done. But more importantly, so are the average
citizens of Afghanistan.
I want to tell my fellow Americans that we're still in a dangerous
period when it comes to the first theater in the war against terror.
Dangerous because, until we complete our mission, which is to bring all
al Qaeda killers to justice, that we're going to hunt them down; that
we will stay on task. The good news for our United States
military is that the American people are very patient, and they're
resolved just like our military is resolved.
But we're now facing people who send young kids to
suicide -- on suicide missions, and they,
themselves, try to hide in caves; a leadership which is willing to send
some mom's child on a fruitless mission in the name of religion, and
they, themselves, are doing everything they can to hide and not be
accountable for what they've done.
But they can't hide long enough. There's no cave deep
enough for them to avoid the long arm of justice of the United
States. And so it doesn't matter how long it takes, as far
as I'm concerned. It doesn't matter if it's a month, a year
-- al Qaeda, the people who killed thousands of United States citizens,
the thugs who want to challenge freedom wherever it exists, those who
use religion in the name of murder will be brought to
justice. (Applause.)
But it's not just al Qaeda. The mission is more than
just one group or one individual. History has called us into
action. History has given this nation a chance to lead a
coalition to fight terror wherever it exists. There is a
nightmare scenario that we must not let happen. Imagine, for example,
if a faceless terrorist organization was able to team up with a nation
which sponsored and developed weapons of mass destruction. Imagine how
the balance of power in the world would change.
We're not going to let that happen. The United States of
America cannot let nations that are not transparent, closed societies,
societies which harm their citizens, societies which have a past
history of being not a civilized nation, to develop a weapon of mass
destruction, that could possibly team up with somebody like the al
Qaeda organization, which would, therefore, then hold us hostage, hold
the coalition hostage. We owe it to our children and our
children's children to rid the world of terror now, so they can grow up
in a free society -- a society without fear, a society without the
threat of attack on our own homeland.
The best homeland defense policy is to find out terrorists where
they live, where they hide, and bring them to justice. And
that's what I'm going to do, so long as I am the President of the
United States. (Applause.)
I picked a good man to lead the homeland security
effort. Tom Ridge was the governor of
Pennsylvania. The last time I was here in the state of North
Carolina, I talked about a first responders initiative, about how the
budget I was going to submit to Congress not only was going to make
national defense a priority, but also that homeland defense would be a
priority. I have since done that.
We talked about first responders, to make sure that the police and
fire had a strategy necessary to respond to emergencies if it were to
occur. I'm also talking about a bioterrorism
initiative. I'm also talking about a border security
initiative.
One of the interesting things I think that the people of North
Carolina will appreciate, that I hold in high esteem the United States
Coast Guard. We've got a plan to beef up the Coast Guard, to
modernize her ships, to make sure the Coast Guard is available around
all the coasts of the country to protect the homeland. We've
got a better intelligence-sharing system in place. We've got
a strategy to defend the homeland of the United States.
And every day I ask the question to the FBI Director and others,
what have you done to make the homeland more secure? My
fellow citizens need to know we're doing everything in our power to
protect innocent families.
There's a lot to be done in Washington, as
well. Obviously, we've got to fight a
recession. My view about the recession is that we'll help
people with unemployment checks -- and we must. But as
Congress tries to figure out ways of how to deal with this, I always
want them to remember that people want more than an unemployment check,
they want a paycheck. And, therefore, we ought to have jobs as a
central aspect of any economic recovery plan, how best to create jobs.
What should we do? Well, I thought I did something
pretty wise, and that was last year when we got a sniff that the
economy was pretty darn slow, was to fight for a tax relief package
that gave people their own money to spend. When people have
more money in their pocket to spend it creates more demand, which means
somebody is producing products, which means somebody is getting a
job. The more money people have in their pockets to spend in
the face of recession, the more likely our economy is going to come out
of recession.
And for those in Washington who think they want to roll back the
tax relief, they're not going to get to do so. The tax
relief was right. And it's important for the American people
that we defend tax relief. (Applause.)
But there is more to do. I would hope Congress would
pass an economic stimulus package that will encourage investment in
plants and equipment. The more investment in plants and equipment, the
more likely it is a textile worker is going to find a
job. The more incentive there is for somebody to put a new
piece of equipment in a factory, the more likely it is somebody is
going to work.
And so as they debate the stimulus package, it's important not only
to remember we want to take care of those who have been affected by the
attacks on 9/11, we also want to stimulate jobs, to encourage jobs.
We also -- I submitted in my budget a priority for educating the
American people, educating our kids. We talked today about
best welfare plan, best -- make sure we keep people off welfare,
besides helping them find work, is to make sure they're
educated. And the state of North Carolina deserves
congratulations for having a really good public school
system. You were tied with Texas, and that's a big admission
for a Texan to say. (Laughter.)
I want you to know that we passed a good piece of education reform,
and it ties in directly to what we're talking about
today. It says, every child matters. We've got to
challenge a system that tends to just shuffle children through, without
regard to whether they can read or write and add and
subtract. We need to focus resources on Title
I. We'll demand accountability. We'll pass
flexibility out of Washington, D.C., to the local
level. We've got a reading program that understands reading
is the new civil right -- if you can't read, you can't succeed in the
America of the 21st century.
This is a great piece of legislation, sponsored by both Republicans
and Democrats. It shows what can happen when we put our
nation ahead of political party, which we must do more of in
Washington, D.C., as far as I'm concerned. (Applause.)
In order to make sure our economy recovers, in order to make sure
we've got a balance sheet that is reasonable as we go into the
out-years, I want to insist Congress hold the line in spending, that
they not get carried away, that they not spend -- that what they think
sounds like -- sounds good is not going to work.
One area in which I'm going to hold the line on the budget, though,
is on TANF funds. My budget calls for over $17 billion a
year for TANF funds to be block-granted back to states. Now,
there's going to be some in Congress that say we've got to reduce the
TANF monies, welfare monies, because the caseloads have
dropped. I don't think we ought to do that at this time in
history. And so the budget I've submitted holds the line on
TANF.
On the other hand, I do think we need some reforms, and I want to
share with you some of those. But first, let me tell you
that there has been great success when it came to welfare
reform. We've actually changed the whole culture from
dependency to self-sufficiency. (Applause.) And,
by doing that, the welfare rolls have declined dramatically and the
country's better off for it. But, more importantly, so are
the human beings.
It's so easy to get caught up in statistics, and forget about
behind each number is a person. And today, I have the honor
of talking about -- of hearing from the people involved, the human
stories, the real-life stories of people that have overcome incredible
obstacles.
I like to tell people, the toughest job in America is a single mom
trying to raise her children. That's the hardest hill to
climb in this country. And yet, as a result of a
collaborative effort of public-private partnership here in Mecklenburg
County, a place where government and business teamed up, many people
have been moved from dependency upon government to work.
Now, the system worked, but in order for that to happen, it
requires a will, a personal determination. Some person has
to say, I can do better and want to do better, just like my introducer,
Frances Cunningham did. She is a single mom with two
teenagers. That, in itself, deserves a medal.
(Laughter.) She has started working with the Work First
program, obviously has a job. But I want to quote what she
said. "The success of it is my children see me go to work
every day. And that makes them go to school every day,
because they see mama isn't staying at home."
The ability for somebody to realize kind of an independent life,
less dependent upon government not only affects that person but also
affects a lot of other people, starting with the children -- starting
with the children.
I met with Michelle Venegas. Michelle is
articulate. I told her she speaks better English than I do
-- (laughter) -- although she got hired as a
translator. She's from Mexico, Tijuana,
Mexico. She was working for a company that went out of
business. She needed a little transition help. She found it
here in Mecklenburg County. By the way, she, herself, is a
mom, got a little ninita. She went to the county department
of social services. She found out they needed someone with
Spanish language skills. She's now employed full-time by the
department.
Kathleen Collado, I met with her, as well. She's a
single mom, recently divorced. She had no high school
diploma. Imagine how tough her future looked. She
needed to take a step up in life and she found help. Kathleen was able
to get her GED, she polished her interviewing skills, and now works for
U.S. Airways.
These are stories that are real. But the good news is,
in this county and all across America they have happened time and time
again. There are 20,000 businesses nationwide that have
helped 1.1 million people go from welfare to work. It is an
essential ingredient of what the future bill ought to look like.
We need to make sure that work is an integral part of any welfare
reauthorization; that the cornerstone of a good bill understands that
when we help somebody find work -- and I emphasize the help somebody
find work -- that leads to more independence, more self-esteem, and
more joy and hope.
And so, as Congress begins to reauthorize, I want to make sure that
work is an integral component and a strong component. As a
matter of fact, I believe that within five years, 70 percent of the
welfare recipients must work. As part of the requirement, 70
percent of people being helped have got to get to work. And
we'll help.
The bill must allow for there to be adequate time for
training. Of a five-day work week, three could be devoted to
work and two to education and job training. For the tougher
cases, there ought to be time set aside exclusively for job training or
drug rehabilitation. And high school moms ought to be
allowed to get credit for going to high school at the same time as part
of their work requirement.
In other words, the system ought to insist upon work, but encourage
work by making sure people have got the skills necessary to work, or
the help necessary to make them a responsible person in the workplace.
Secondly, our public policy must encourage
families. Research shows that two-parent families are more
likely to raise a child that is going to go to high school or college,
that a child in a two-parent family is less likely to get addicted to
drugs.
Now, I understand there are some families that just simply aren't
meant to be. I know that. I'm not -- I'm wise
about that. On the other hand, we ought to aim for a goal, a
goal that recognizes the power and importance of two-parent families in
America.
And, therefore, the budget I'm submitting and the reform that I
hope that Congress will insist upon recognizes that premarital
counseling can work, conflict resolution after marriage is important,
anti-gambling -- help the old man get off the gambling habit will
help. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation can be part of an
important concept about keeping families together.
We've got $300 million -- up to $300 million in the budget to
encourage parenting and family programs to flourish at the local
level. And, as well, I've got $135 million in the budget for
abstinence education programs.
Now, let me be as candid as I can about this. Abstinence
works every time -- (laughter) -- when it comes to making sure somebody
may not have an unwanted child or someone picks up sexually transmitted
disease. And this society ought to give children the benefit
of the doubt. We ought not to assume that our culture is
automatically going to lead a child to defy an abstinence education
program. We ought to try it. We ought to work
hard; we ought to shoot for the ideal in society and not get drug down
by the cynics. And so part of making sure that welfare
reauthorization is going to achieve objectives is to promote family and
to encourage right choices amongst American youth.
Thirdly, we must trust local officials to manage the money
necessary to achieve certain objectives and
goals. (Applause.) We have got to have
flexibility at the federal level. Tommy understands
that. It's one of the main reasons I asked him to become the
Secretary of Health and Human Services. He was a governor; I
was a governor. We understand that the more flexibility
there is at the local level, the more possible it is to meet local
needs and, therefore, meet local and national objectives, to meet
goals.
And so one of the things we're going to ask Congress is not to
micromanage the system. There are hundreds of federal
welfare programs. For those of you who work in this line of work, you
know what I'm talking about -- hundreds of them. Many of
them with incredible hoops that need to be jumped through in order to
be able to access funds.
It is not necessary to have hundreds of welfare
programs. What's necessary is to make a commitment to set
goals, to expect results and to trust local people in managing the
dollars. And that's the spirit of welfare reform.
And we're going to push hard for this initiative in the United
States Congress. I can't guarantee 100 percent success, but
I can guarantee you, we're going to give it our best shot to make sure
that we're able to achieve local objectives, and therefore, realize a
national goal. And that is moving as many people as we can,
as compassionately as we can, from welfare to work, helping people help
themselves.
And, finally, any part of a welfare authorization must understand
the power of faith-based organizations and charitable organizations in
our society. (Applause.) I have asked for
legislation that will encourage charitable giving and, at the same
time, allow faith-based organizations to access federal dollars without
discrimination, without causing the faith-based organization to abandon
faith.
You see, here's what I believe. I believe there are
neighborhood healers and helpers all across America who want to love
their neighbor just like they love themselves, and ought to be
encouraged rather than thwarted.
I know you've got a strong faith-based initiative here in
Mecklenburg County. I want to applaud you for
that. It makes sense to say to church and synagogue and
mosque that if you want to help a neighbor in need, we encourage you to
do so. It makes sense to recognize that sometimes a drug
addict or an alcohol -- person hooked on alcohol needs a change of
heart in order to change behavior. And that doesn't happen
through government bureaucracies. It happens as a result of
people of faith interfacing with neighbors in need.
And so I'm calling on Congress, the Senate -- and I talked to
Senator Daschle about this this morning, and he wrote a very positive
editorial about the need for faith-based programs in our
society. I hope they get this legislation passed and to my
desk. It is essential that we rally the armies of compassion
all across the country.
Yesterday in Washington, D.C., I met with a guy hooked on crack
cocaine. He found the Lord. He changed his
life. He's married. He was a lousy dad; he's now
a good dad, upholding his obligations. He feels so much
better about himself. And, as importantly, he's a part of a
program that exists in inner city Washington, D.C., trying to find the
next crack cocaine addict to help that person help themselves.
The fabric -- I envision a fabric in our nation of healers and
helpers, and faith-based, compassionate people, all reaching out to a
neighbor in need. People ask me all the time, what can I do
in the fight against terror? And the answer is, do something
good.
You see, it's the gathering -- what I like to call the gathering
momentum of millions of acts of kindness on a daily basis that stands
strong against the evil which attacked our country. It is
the ability for our nation to show its compassionate side through acts
and deeds of kindness, and the willingness of somebody to put their arm
around a child as a mentor and say, I love you. Or just
walking into a neighbor's house, an elderly neighbor's house, a
shut-in, and saying, I care about you, what can I do to help you
today?
This is the strength of the country. This is -- we're
not trying to reinvent something. We're tapping into the
great soul of America. The spirit of our country is one
based upon neighborhoods, people helping each other, communities all
bound up with one thing in mind, how to make people's lives better.
You know, they hit us, they attacked us, they took life, but they
have not been able to dent the spirit of America. We are
strong. We are compassionate. We're a loving
nation. And as a result, I see a future that is so hopeful
and so bright for every citizen who's fortunate enough to call
themselves an American.
Thank you for letting me come. God
bless. (Applause.)